Things you didn't know
by SamandDianeOTP
Summary: 25 things you didn't know about some of the characters... Updated with 5 new things...
1. Chapter 1: 1-9

**So here's some of my 'facts you didn't know'. Mainly Sam and Diane, but different characters from the bar are involved. I tried to come up with 10 but I was stuck at 9. I hope you find them interesting! Please feel free to review what you think...**

**BTW...I'm sorry I haven't updated "A Twisted Season Three" but I haven't come up with anything for it 'yet. I got ideas for the ending though, but I have trouble with filling in between. Hope some ideas will pop up soon! **

**Well, enjoy!**

#1 – _Gone by the fire_

Sam told Diane back in 1983 that he didn't like that she had carved in his bar. But one day 2 years after she had left, Sam had stumbled over that little carving "SM plus DC". At first he was taken aback by this old memory. He had learned to live without her, learned to put her aside, not forget her, but just learned how to deal with it. The carving reminded him that she really existed and that she once had been his. From that on he found himself looking at the carving at least one time every night.  
When the bar burned down the first thing he checked for when he was alone was if the carving had remained. The only thing that had remained was the "SM". The "DC" was burned away.

#2 _– Late night call_

When the phone rang when Sam and the gang talked about the meaning of life, everyone but Sam was sure it was one of their relatives in the other end of the receiver. It was first when Sam was left alone that he realized that he hadn't anyone to expect a call from.  
Actually he was wrong. Because the one who had called was Diane, who was still waiting on the airplane to LA. She just wanted to tell him one last thing.

#3 –_Late delivered news_

While Sam waited 6 years to hear Diane's explanation, Woody had already known it for a while, because in 1988 he stumbled into Diane on a small vacation. Diane was thrilled to see him. Woody was glad to see that his old friend was doing well. They had taken a walk by a local lake. The first hour they had talked about everything between earth and heaven except one thing. Cheers. When they had reached the end of the lake, Woody had taken her arm and said;  
"Ms. Chambers, have you ever thought about, you know, stop by the bar some time? Say hi to everybody?" Woody had asked.

Diane had been unprepared for the question and had problems with answering.  
"Woody, I-I really don't think that would be a good idea. Why, has anyone asked about me?" Diane had asked with a little spark of hope in her eyes.  
Woody had bitter shaken his head.

When they had said their goodbyes one thing stuck with Diane and that was Woody's last words.  
"He'll forgive you."

#4_- A call which could have changed everything_

When Sam announced his leaving in 1987 to the bar, Carla was the one who reacted most aggressive. She was so angry that she nearly went through the phone call. But when she heard her voice in the other end of the receiver, she'd hung up. Through the next months she'd wondered if that was the right decision.

# 5 _– Memories of an old enemy _

Carla didn't 'hate' Diane. She just hated that Diane stopped Sam's womanizing and that she sometimes got more attention from her best friend than she did herself and that she saw herself as better than any of them. Actually she misses teasing her around.

# 6 _– Knowledge through unopened letters_

Sam did receive a couple of letters from Diane while she was in Main, but he could never get himself to open them. Instead Rebecca found them in a drawer when she took over the bar.

That was one of the main reasons why she had given Sam the job. Even though she knew nothing of Sam by that time, she had blown the dust away from the letters and read them. So she knew who he was talking about when he said "I was afraid I was going to see her face everywhere I looked when I walked in her today". She would never tell Sam, but she'd actually saved the letters in her apartment just in case, he was looking for them one day.

# 7 _– The last words are always powerful_

When Coach out the sudden had gotten incredible sick, Sam visited him every day at the hospital.

He hadn't been worried at all because the doctors had told them that his illness wasn't deadly.

But one rainy day, where Sam had arrived at the hospital, Coach had looked extra tired. That day their conversation had been more serious than usual.

"Hey, I'll be back tomorrow, okay?"  
"Sam?"  
"Yeah."  
"Will you promise something?"  
"What, coach?"  
"Get her back."  
"Who are you-"  
"You know who. Do it for me, alright? Do it for yourself."  
"Coach, you know that-"  
"Have you talked with her since the wedding?"  
"No, I haven't-"  
"Then you don't know what happened to her."  
"But Coach, why are you talking like-"  
"Just promise me, Sam, that you'll try."  
Sam had been about to discus with him, but when he had looked at the Coach, that expression he had on his face, told him that it wasn't such a good idea.

"I will," he had sighed and said goodbye.

The next day Sam had received the call. The Coach had passed away. His last words would forever stay in his mind and it seemed that every time he said his goodbyes with Diane Chambers, the words from his last conversation with the Coach were re-played inside his head. _Get her back_.

Every time he had told himself that he had loosed her forever he was reminded of _"You don't know what happened to her"_. Somehow that always gave him a bit of hope.

#8 _– From lover to stranger_

That day Diane Chambers returned to the little bar in Boston, Sam wasn't completely sure that the person standing in front of him was the one who had left him 6 years earlier. It was her voice, her eyes, but she was so different. Different in a way, he couldn't describe. The woman which face he could always predict- or close to always- seemed far away. The woman, who had brought up so many different emotions in him, suddenly felt like a stranger to him.

#9 _– Noticeable things _

Through the years some will notice some of their friends' small habits. And Norm Peterson was one of them. He would notice even the smallest things his friends did. Most of them were funny but there was one that made him quite sad. His close friend, Sam Malone, had gotten this habit years ago. Norm was not sure that he was aware that he did it. He just did it. Just like every other habit you just do. You can't explain why. You just do it. At a different time each day, Norm noticed that Sam would turn his head from whatever he was doing and stare at the door for a couple of seconds. Nobody ever came in right at that time he was looking and if some did, he would look the other way and shake his head. At first Norm found it a bit strange but suddenly it all made sense. As Norm recalled the same time as Sam turned his head matched with the time Diane Chambers used to walk in through the door to begin her shift. Nobody else would ever notice but Norm.


	2. Chapter 2: 10 -15

**Well, here's an updated version of "Things you didn't know".  
I have added 6 new things in this chapter. I'm not if it's some **** I've wrote...I just randomly wrote down whatever came to my mind, but I hope it's acceptable!  
Hope you enjoy (at least some of them)!**

#10 _– An old ring can still be used_

When Sam saw Diane again after 6 years of separation he had analyzed her from top to bottom.

Or so he thought. Because if he really had noticed the little things about her and on her, he would have noticed the shiny diamond ring sitting on her left hand. The one he had given her that crazy day where thousands of dollars were used on nothing. Or not nothing. There still was that "false" ring left which Diane accepted at last. Sam believed he was the only one, who had kept his ring, but what he didn't know was that Diane had worn it nearly every day since their engagement. Of course she had to take it off whenever she was on a date. Actually Diane hoped that he would have noticed it, but he hadn't.

#11 –_The right words_

One rainy day, where there was nothing else to do in the bar, Sam and Diane discussed what should be imprinted in each other's rings. They came up with some things that day. In Sam's ring Diane wanted "_forever yours_" imprinted and in Diane's Sam wanted "_you're a nutcase" _imprinted_.  
_Diane agreed to do that if she could change her words to "_my magnificent pagan beast_".  
Sam agreed to come up with something else.

#12 _– An invalid invitation_

When Sam told Rebecca that he hadn't contacted his parents for years, he hadn't counted the one time, he gave them a call back in 1987.

"_Why, Diane? We haven't even set a date 'yet."  
_

_"Well, just let them know about the wedding, alright? Let them know what's going on in your life."_

"_I can't understand why it can't wait until the whole thing is planned."_

"_Sam, I don't want you to write a wedding invitation. I want you to write a letter where you in the letter inform them about our engagement. Do they even know who I am?"  
_

_"Of course they do!"_

"_How?"_

"_Derek…"_

"_Why won't you even consider giving them a-"  
__  
"I'll call them within the next week and tell them."__  
_

"_Will you invite them to our new house before the ceremony? I want to meet them before we're already married."_

"_No, you won't."_

"_Why!?"  
_

_"Because they'll kill you then."_

"_Hah, hah. So funny."_

"_Actually, I'm not worried about that part. They will like you from the first sight."  
_

_"You think so?"_

"_I know so."_

"_So we agree that you call and invite them for a dinner and I'll make sure to have a wedding invitation ready for them?"  
_

_"Wait, I didn't say-"  
_

_"Great, I'll start do some planning right now!"_

His parents had been thrilled to hear the news. Even Derek had been happy for him.  
The dinner had been set to be some weeks from the day Sam called. That day turned out to be 8 days after Diane had left. His mom had asked him why he sounded so distance in the phone when she called before they were taking off.

"_It's cancelled. The dinner, the wedding, everything!"  
_  
He hadn't said more before he'd hung up. His parents would keep calling for a week afterwards but he would never answer.  
He explained it all that one day he called where he was sitting in the big office.

#13 _– Even the smallest things can be important_

8 months after Coach's death, Sam read in a TV guide that a Mitchum movie was on that night.  
He remembered how he and the Coach would watch his movies every time they were on the TV.  
So he would ask everyone if they wanted to see this movie with him. He explained to those who didn't know that this was something he used to do with the Coach. Unfortunately everybody had made plans for that evening. So, a disappointed Sam made his way home to watch the movie all by himself. Just when the movie was about to start, he heard two knocks on the door.  
And there, outside his door she stood with a box of chocolate in her one hand and a pointing finger.  
_  
"Mitchum!"_

#14 –_Just because they're not there, doesn't mean that they're not there_

Ernie Pantusso was a loved friend by many. Not at least Sam. After he passed away, Sam felt lost at many points. First of all he had to make all his decisions by himself. There was no Coach to tell him what to do. Even though, Coach was Sam closest friend and vice versa Sam didn't pay him one single visit in a period of 2 years. It wasn't until Diane one day asked.

"_Why have you bought flowers? Isn't me who's supposed to do that?"_

"Yes, but you never do it anyway so. No, actually I bought these for someone else."

"Really? Who?"

"_Well, I thought that it was time for us to pay a visit to the Coach, don't you think."_

"Uhm, yeah… It probably is."

"I know it's hard. Believe me, it's taken me time too, you know. I have only visited his grave 2-3 times since he passed away."

"Well, compared to my one yours-"

"_When was that?"_

"What?"

"When was it you visited him?"

"The day we buried him. I haven't steeped a foot into the cemetery ever since."

"I understand completely if you don't want to go. I just thought he would like to know how we were doing. Tell him about our big news."

"Mmm."

"I can go by myself if you don't-"

"No, of course I'll go with you."

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely."

Since then, Sam kept visiting his grave a couple of times each year. Every time he had this strange feeling that he was in good company even though, the only ones on the cemetery would be other visitors and dead people. He sure didn't feel alone, though. Maybe he was just silly or maybe the Coach really was there in spirit. Who knows? Every time he visited the Coach, he opened himself a bit more up and slowly he developed a conversation with the graveyard.  
Even though he sometimes felt stupid talking to a stone with only dates and letters on, it made him feel more comfortable being there.  
He never told anyone at the bar.

#15 –_I would tell you, if I could_

Frasier was a man whose job was to listen to people's problems, understand them and solve them. But there was one problem, he had never solved even though, he was sure, he could have.  
The time Diane left Seattle, he was so close to call Sam.  
Diane was so low again, and even though, he had helped her once again, he knew that wasn't enough. She needed one to be there for her, and again Frasier was so close to fall in to that trip again. 'Cause just like years ago, she needed a friend desperately, and Frasier had thought he could be that person, and he had thought that he could be even more than that. But that last place belonged to someone special in her heart, and when Frasier found out what she had been up to with this play, he knew that she still just saw him as the 'friend'. Frasier knew that Sam would forever held that special place in her heart.  
It was hard to see the woman which he still had feelings towards was doing so badly.  
He never knew why he didn't at least call Sam to tell him about Diane. Maybe Sam would've have paid her a visit and everything would've sought itself out.  
Frasier wondered if it was because, he didn't think it would work out between them as usually or if it was because he still couldn't let go.


	3. Chapter 3: 16-20

**Yes, here's 5 new things you didn't know. You'll find Diane popping up in all of these.  
Sorry...I couldn't help it!  
Well, she's also supported by Sam, Woody and Norm.**

**As always, I hope you'll enjoy and it's always lovely to hear your thoughts.**

#16 _– Too personal to let go of_

One day on a set in Los Angeles a quite stressed Diane Chambers had had so many things to think of that she had forgotten one of her most personal things on a coffee table at her working place.  
Her diary.  
A producer that had worked over time that Saturday evening found it and looked through the pages. He found himself unable to let go of the diary. So he brought it back home.  
The following Monday early in the morning a re-energized Diane showed up on the set.  
Suddenly a man appeared in front of her. With a smile and a wink he held out her diary in his right hand.

"_It has potential to become something big._" he said.

Diane was shocked. Unaware that her diary had been missing, she quickly took the diary and looked it through to make sure it was hers. And it was.

"_You ever thought about publishing it?" _he had asked.

She looked at him in disbelief.  
She thought of it for a moment. Of course there was personal stuff that she wouldn't want to get published, but maybe this would boost her popularity.  
Even though, she could always play her "Jessica Simpsons-Bourget" card.  
But then something made her change her mind.

"_I especially like the parts about this guy Sam."_

Without any kind of response, she turned with tears in her eyes and rushed out of the room.

From then on she avoided the unknown producer.

#17 –_You would've found it if you'd looked for it_

After Diane left Cheers to pursue one of her many dreams, she made her way by their house.  
It had looked so empty when she had removed most of clothes in to her suitcases.  
Just before she was about to leave she let out a deep sigh. On a miner table in the living room she had spotted a picture of herself and Sam. Letting go of her suitcases in the dooropening, she found a pen and some paper. When she was done writing a note and placed it at the corner of the photo, she gently lifted the photo from its place and kissed Sam's face on the photo.  
She had expected that he was the one to find it, but years later when she was in the TV business, she paid a visit to her old town, Boston. She wasn't supposed to be reminded of her past in Boston, but she did when the cab drove just past it. With no sight of life inside the house, she got the cabdriver to stop by the house. She found the hidden key in a crack and opened the squeaking door.  
Inside it was all dusty. It was just like she had left it years before. She took a quick look around.  
Nothing had been moved or removed. He hadn't been there once since she had leaven.  
_He hasn't been here,_ she thought, _but he hasn't sold it either.  
_Deeply in her thoughts, she jumped in surprise when she unconscious knocked down something from a table.  
She heard the sound of glass breaking under her right food. She stepped back and found out that it was a photo. She bent down and took the photo with the two of them on it and with a note in the left corner.

_See you in 6 months.  
__Yours forever,_

_Diane._

#18- _Late delivered mail_

Working as a mailman for many years Cliff Clavin was known for his fatefulness towards his job.  
He always delivered his mail. Maybe not always at the right places, but it's the thought that counts.  
His usual route was by some of his friends' homes. And one of them was Sam.  
In 1987 when Sam was sailing around somewhere in the ocean, Cliff did as a friend would do.  
He made sure that all Sam's mail didn't end in the trash because he didn't have an official address.  
So for some months, every kind of mail Sam should have received, Cliff saved for him at his home.  
Not doing anything illegal but out of curiosity, Cliff would look at the transmitter's name.  
And most of the time, the transmitter's name would be Diane Chambers.  
He mostly let out a sigh every time he saw her name on the letters.  
Even though he sometimes wanted to, he never opened them.  
Out of the sudden letters from Diane got more rarely and at last, he stopped receiving letters from her.  
When Sam returned, Cliff had forgotten all about the letters.  
But one day years later he found the letters in a black box, he had saved on a celling.  
He felt right when he finally delivered them to Sam's address.

He never got to see Sam's reaction when he found the letters in his mailbox, he just know that he had received them. Or well…He hoped, he had!

#19-_ Dear pen pales _

Even though Woody never saw the Coach alive, he visited him a couple of times at the graveyard.  
He used to bring flowers and sometimes pens just to refresh some old memories.  
He always felt welcome at the grave. Like Coach was aware that he was there.  
One day in September 1995 when he was about to visit Coach's grave, there was a lady standing by the grave. Woody recognized her at the exact moment, he saw her. With her blonde hair blowing in the wind and wearing her fancy close, Ms. Chambers had also decided to visit Coach's grave the same day as  
Woody.  
He saw her replace some withered different colored flowers with some white roses she had brought.  
When she was about to leave he ran across the cemetery.  
When he caught her she meet him with a smile.  
She explained that she was on a business trip with her work and that they were stopping by Boston right at the moment.  
Polite as Woody is, he invited her home for tea.  
And this was the first time Diane met Kelly and their son.  
Enjoying each other's company, Diane forgot all about the time and she had nearly missed her plane. Diane gave Woody and Kelly her address and told them to write to her.

Since then the three of them has stayed in contact and while Woody and Kelly could hear about Diane's crazy life in LA, Diane could follow the childhood of little Woody Jr.

#20- _Nothing's like before_

The following day of Sam and Diane's failed wedding everyone in the bar acted like nothing had happened.  
Cliff would tell his usual unusual facts. Woody would find them interesting. Carla would make a mean response. Norm would make his daily one-liner. Just like always. Or so it looked like.  
But Sam was no easy man to fool at this point. He knew that his friends faked this reality for his sake. No one mentioned Diane that day. No one spoke about the day before.  
It seemed like she didn't even exist.  
Sam himself had been quite quiet that day, but none of them asked about that either.  
They treated him like some sort of glass. If you dropped it, it would break into a thousand of pieces.  
Close to closing time the only one left in the bar besides Sam himself, was Norm who was finishing the last beer of the day.

"_Well Sam, I'm off."  
_

_"Yeah, bye Norm."_

"_Bye."_

"_Wait, Norm!"_

"_Yeah Sammy?"  
_

_"Why did you do that?"  
_

_"What?"_

"_You know what I mean. Do you really think I'm that stupid that I can't see that you were all acting?"_

_"Acting?"  
_

_"The way you've behaved all day! Like nothing happened! You know as well as I that she's gone forever."_

"_Sam…We did it because we wanted you to be reminded of her as less as possible.  
__We all know you're hurt-"_

_"And you don't think I can deal with the pain? I mean, it's not this is the first time she left me."  
_

_"Look, Sam, we were just trying to help."_

"Well don't!"

_"I know you are having a hard time-"  
_

_"Hard time? Oh, no, no, no, no, NO! The woman I've been crazy about the past 6 years just left me for what might be forever. The woman I thought, I was going to share the rest of my life with. The woman I thought, I should die besides. The woman which voice is constantly in my mind. The woman which face is everywhere around this bar. She's just there, you know. Watching, reading, laughing. It's killing me, Norm! But what can I do? I can shut my month, put on a fake smile and spent my day in a bar where I've spent most of my time with her."_

"_Maybe Sam, the thing you need right now is to get the hell outta here. Get some fresh air. See that there's more to this world than being constantly reminded of her. She's out there, so why shouldn't you be?"  
_

_"You're right. I need to get away. Far away. For some time at least. Maybe I'll return, maybe I won't. I guess time will tell."  
_

_"Mmm."  
_

_"Norm?"_

"_Yes?"  
_

_"Do you think that's the right thing to do? Just leave everything behind."  
_

_"Sometimes Mayday, it is, and clearly now is the time for you, and I can't do other than support your decision."_

Some days after Sam announced that he had bought a boat and that he was leaving.  
Norm Peterson was the only one who didn't jump up and attacked Sam.  
Instead he finished his beer with a sigh.


	4. Chapter 4: 21-25

**Yay! I did it! 4 chapter! I found myself a bit stuck with writing 5 new things "that you didn't know" but then 3 of them came to me today. So I'm happy that I kept my promise! Some of these may have turned out to be minor fanfics, but I hope it doesn't matter. Just more to read, I guess!  
****Enjoy and let me know what you think!**

* * *

#21- _The jersey with number 16_

She didn't know how, but apparently Sam's old jersey had sneaked down in her suitcase with the rest of her clothes when she had packed for Maine. When Diane Chambers had discovered the jersey in her suitcase after arriving in the cabin, she had immediately lifted the jersey to her nose and smelled it. It still smelled like him.  
She found it comforting somehow. It gave her the illusion that he was there. Even though it was kind of silly, she wrapped the pillow besides her own in his jersey. Then every time she would wake up it was to the smell of Sam Malone. At first she had liked the idea, but after a while she found herself embracing the pillow with tears. She missed him terribly, and having the jersey-pillow reminding her of his smell didn't help at all.  
So she put the jersey away again only to find it years later in back of her closet.

#22- _A story to be told_

It hadn't been a happy time for either one of them. Just divorced from her husband- now ex- Rebecca Howe felt the need of a comforting friend. And of course Sam Malone was the right one.

When she'd called, he'd come as fast as he could, bringing some vine and a cd filled with sad music.  
She did the talking, he did the listening. Or that was until an unexpected question came from Rebecca.

_"How does it feel, Sam?"  
"What do you mean?"  
"How does it feel to be left behind from the one you thought was 'the one'?"  
"Who are you-"  
*suddenly realizing who*  
*long break*  
"I know that you sold the bar because of her. Giving away the most precious in your life just to get away that's quite an achievement."  
"Do you even know what happened before that? Do you even know who she really is besides my former girlfriend?"  
"I've heard things…"  
"Like what?"  
"Well, her name and how long you dated her-"  
"Do you know why she left?"  
"She wanted to publish some book a book or something, right?"  
"Right."  
"How did you react when she told you that she was leaving?"  
"She didn't tell me."  
"What do you mean?"  
"I was the one that told her that she should take a chance with this book the day we were about to get married."  
"You were-? You were about-"  
"About to get married, yes."  
"And you-"  
"Made her leave."  
"But- why?"  
"I guess, it's called love."  
*Long break*  
"You really did love her, didn't you?"  
"Yes…"  
"And you still do?"  
"Maybe…I don't-"  
"Then why didn't you leave with her?"  
"Wait, what?"  
"Were you afraid?"  
"I-"  
"Or was it the bar holding you back?"  
"Hey, will you knock it off! I thought I came here to support __**you**__ and not get into some kind of babble about my life!"  
"Sam, I'm not doing this to hurt you…But to understand you.  
You see, you're right, when you came into the office that day and told me that Diane was there, I had no idea what was waiting ahead. I had only the tiniest details about her. One of the things I found out quite early was that there was clearly some anger pointed towards her from the people in the bar. I felt the tension, Sam.  
Not just between her and the gang, but between you and her. I don't know half of the story. I seriously have no idea on what circumstances she left. But to tell the truth Sam, she was nothing like I had ever imagined her to be. She was classy, intelligent, maybe a bit of a snob (how should I know) but I've never seen you with a woman in this sort of class before. She was so…different from you."  
*No response*  
"I also discovered another thing."  
"And what was that?"  
"In your eyes, that day, I saw anger, bitterness and hurt. In hers I saw… regret."  
"And how, may I ask, did you 'see that'?"  
"It was as clear as a red spot on a white shirt."  
"It- it was?"  
"Yeah…It kinda was. And I know what I'm talking about. First of all I was drunk AND devastated that day (just like now)…Still I noticed."  
"Hmm."  
"Hey?"  
"Yeah?"  
"You wanna tell me more about her?"  
"Rebecca, I really-"  
"Please, Sam…Wouldn't it - FOR ONCE- be great if someone heard your version of the story and listened with opened ears?"  
_  
And to this, Sam couldn't answer no. She would perhaps be the only one to understand.  
So, Sam sat another couple of hours in Rebecca's apartment telling Rebecca the story of his life with Diane. Every little detail that was worth telling about.  
Rebecca just sat quietly and listened concentrated through the whole story without interrupting.  
When he was done telling, they sat back in silence. Never before had Sam opened this much to her, this much to anyone to be frank. Sam felt, relieved, somehow. He realized how much he'd needed to get this of his chest for who knows how many years.

_"You know what?" she had said.  
"What?"  
"I think you could've been a really good husband."  
_The _could have _stayed in his mind and so did the memories of Diane Chambers.

#22- _Hate is not the opposite of love, indifference is._

A cold November day in 1986, Diane was caught with the flue and called in sick. Sam was the one to answer the phone.  
_"Are you sure you're alright? If you need anything I can come by?"  
"No, I'll be fine, I'm sure."  
_Sam knew that she must've been terribly ill if she didn't take advances of his kind gesture in this period of time. So without any doubt, Sam left the bar early so that he could take care of her the rest of the day.  
The thing was that he had never forgiven himself for not taking care of her when they were together and she was more ill than what he'd expected. Now he would try to make up for it.  
_  
"Sam! What are you doing here?"  
"Well, I thought I better make sure that you were alright."  
"That's so sweet."  
"Oh no, don't start doing that! I've been so gentle to check up on you, now you return the favor by NOT doing that!"  
_But she did. He stayed the whole evening and took care of her, making dinner for her, bringing her handkerchiefs, everything. And she kept making that smirk of hers while he tried to ignore it but failed.  
_"I thought that you were supposed to hate me? Is this how "hate relationships" works? Because then I like it," she had asked while they were watching a movie.  
"Well I do! I just- this is an exception."  
"How come?"  
"Sch! I'm trying to watch a movie here!"  
She leaned her head against his chest. He didn't say anything to it.  
_  
She hadn't said more. Before he knew of it, she'd fallen asleep on his chest.  
He carried her into her bedroom where he lied her down on the bed and covered her body with a blanket. Afterwards he sat down on the edge of the bed and began to stroke her head and then her hand. He had no idea how long he just sat there. He noticed how beautiful she was when she was asleep. You could easily mistake her for being an angel.  
_She is, _he thought. _She's __**my**__ angel._ He slowly moved his lips towards her forehead and kissed it. When he leaned back he saw her lips move and turn into a smile.  
He was about to defend himself from all kind of accuses, but he realized that she was still asleep.  
He gently brushed her locker away from her eyes.  
When he was about to leave he turned yet one more time to look at her.  
_Someday, _he said. _I'll be there to take care of you the whole time.  
Just not today.  
_Then he turned and left her with a clear conscience.

#23- _A strangers trust _

It was all chaos. Carla was embracing Diane with tears and joy and people that had just won a bet about how the wedding would turn out came from every corner of the bar to thank them. The rest of them were those who had lost money and were leaving. Sam managed to break away from the crowd, but Diane was still caught by Carla's embrace of thank you's. He went outside to get some fresh air. When he had stood there for a while, he decided to go back in. But then an older couple came out of the door just as he was about to open it.

_"Frank, give me the money! I won the bet!"  
"No you didn't!"  
_Sam stepped back._  
"Yes I did! They didn't get married as I said they wouldn't."  
"No, they didn't get married…today!"  
"What are saying, Frank?"  
"I'm saying that you'll get the money 'if' they don't get married. But you may have to wait for a while before we can be sure who of us' right."  
"And how long is that?"  
"We'll see."  
_  
The old couple was so focused on their own little discussion that they didn't even notice that they walked just past him. Sam took the last step down from the stair and just stood there for a while thinking things over.  
_No they didn't get married…today!  
_Through the door's glass he made eye contact with Diane who still troubled with getting rid of Carla.  
_But you may have to wait for a while before we can be sure who's right.  
_He sighed and then re-entered the bar.

#25- A _Secret gift from the heart  
_  
As always Christmas eve were held at Cheers, and 1986 was no excuse. The girls had done the decorating while the guys had done the planning. When it was time to exchange gifts people gathered in and around the bar. Norm had gotten a stapler from Cliff. Cliff had gotten a winter hat from Norm. Carla had gotten earrings from Diane (which she actually liked but of course didn't tell her). Carla had given Diane a candle because she thought that Diane should at least have 'something' to light up her empty life. And then she and Sam began to sing "always look on the bright side of life".  
Other than that, Diane had received perfume from Woody while Woody had gotten a book from Diane.  
Sam had gotten cd's from Carla and from Diane a new cologne.  
There were lots of other gifts exchanged between the gang but one of them made all the others faint.  
On the bar had laid a gift for Diane. There was no transmitter, only a receiver. And that was Diane.  
She had opened the gift with a gasp. In a box there was a golden necklace. The symbol hanging in the necklace was a golden heart. She looked around on every one of them but they all shook their head and shrugged. Everyone besides Sam. She turned and saw him enter his office without giving her one single look.


End file.
